Dan Issel had some straightforward comments about the Nuggets' superstar.
The Denver Nuggets finished the regular season 54-28 and rattled off 12 straight wins heading into the postseason.
Then the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked them out in six games in the first round, and suddenly everybody wants to know if the window has closed in Denver.
Nuggets legend Dan Issel does not think so.
Issel Speaks On The Joker Factor
Issel, who spent his entire NBA career playing for and coaching the Nuggets, joined the Run It Back podcast earlier this week and did not sugarcoat what he expects from Denver's offseason.
He said there is not much room to work with on the money side, but he also gave a pretty clear reason to stay confident.
"As long as they have Joker, I don't think the window is closed," Issel said.
The numbers back him up.
Nikola Jokic averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game this season while shooting 56.9 percent from the field and leading the entire league in both rebounds and assists.
The three-time MVP is 31 years old and still playing better than just about everyone else in the sport, so it is hard to call Denver's window shut when the best player in basketball is on the roster.
The Money Problem
Issel was a lot less positive when it came to the front office's options for changing the roster around.
Denver is already projected to be over the second apron heading into next season, and Issel put the blame squarely on ownership.
"Stan Kroenke is the most frugal billionaire since Warren Buffett," Issel said. "I don't think he's gonna fire a coach who has a lot of time left on his contract, or go into the third apron and pay all these taxes."
The Nuggets owe Jokic and Jamal Murray a combined $109.1 million next season alone.
Christian Braun's five-year, $125 million extension kicks in on top of that, and Aaron Gordon's four-year, $133 million deal pushes the payroll even higher.
There is almost no room to bring in outside help, and Denver might not even be able to keep restricted free agent Peyton Watson, who was averaging nearly 15 points a game before a hamstring injury shut him down.
Why The Window Is Still There
The money situation is tight, but the talent is real.
Murray averaged 25.4 points and 7.1 assists across 75 games this season while earning his first All-Star selection and breaking the franchise single-season three-point record.
Jokic is expected to sign a four-year, $278 million extension this summer, locking himself into Denver for the long haul.
Issel probably has the right read on the offseason.
There will not be a blockbuster trade, and the roster will look pretty similar next fall.
Denver failed to crack 100 points three times in the series against Minnesota, so the questions about depth and defense are fair ones.
But Issel's bigger point still holds.
As long as Jokic is in a Denver jersey, the Nuggets have a real chance.